Guiding arrangement for the crossbeam on two-column planing machines



May 5, 1959 O. WALDRICH GUIDING ARRANGEMENT FOR THE CROSSBEAM Filed Nov. 2, 1955 ON TWO-COLUMN PLANING MACHINES .ZIZLv ejzivr 3 m s a a 9 a x a n Z w 4 n a R United States Patent GUIDING ARRANGEMENT FOR THE CROSSBEAM 0N TWO-COLUIVIN PLANING MACHINES Oskar Waldrich, Siegen, Westphalia, Germany Application November 2, 1953, Serial No. 389,810

1 Claim. (Cl. 90-37) The endeavour to make planing machines, especially those with two columns, rigid throughout has been relatively successful, the rigidity being attained by increasing the dimensions, cross-sections and wall thicknesses. This, however, necessitates much greater weight, more capital expenditure and higher running expenses and nevertheless only satisfies the requirement of rigidity within certain limits.

According to the invention, however, a considerable increase in the rigidity of two-column planing machines is attained by lengthening and correspondingly stiffening the main parts of the machine, that is the columns and crossbeam, which latter was hitherto guided on the inner and outer sides of the columns and locally stiffened.

In the known machines the length of the reciprocal guides corresponds to the height of the crossbeam, whereas, in the machine forming the subject matter of the invention, guide extensions are provided on the crossbeam which considerably increase the length of the guiding surfaces. In view of the lateral displacements, a lengthening of the guides is possible primarily on the inner edges of the columns, but also on the outer edges thereof, and moreover in upward and downward direction. It is evident that this will require a corresponding alteration in design to provide space for the guides; that is, an increase in height if they are extended in upward direction, and a wider spacing of the columns if the guides are extended downwardly while retaining the same gantry width.

There is no doubt that the arrangement according to the invention results in a considerable diagonal stiffening, lateral yielding of the columns and twisting of the rectangle formed by the bed, the two columns and the crossbeam, to form a parallelogram being effectively prevented. Consequently the arrangement is much more rigid and can work under considerably higher pressure components than hitherto.

To amphasize more strongly the above-mentioned diagonal stiffening and at the same time be independent to a great extent of the lengthening of the guides, it is advisable to provide stiffening ribs between the extensions and the crossbeam, which ribs can be fitted particularly advantageously on the upper extension part because the gantry width is not affected by the ribs at this point. It is therefore possible to adapt these, without any restrictions, to the forces which arise and, if necessary, allow them to be even absolutely diagonal. By this means the sense of diagonal stiffening is not only the fundamental aim but is positively carried into effect constructionally at this point.

If the guides are lengthened in downward direction, the arrangement of such stiifening ribs is not always possible, and in certain cases not without a sacrifice in the gantry width. In order, however, to have a wide range of possibility regarding the amount of lengthening and the provision of stiffening or reinforcing ribs, it is advisable, according to a further feature of the invention, to allow the counter-guides on the columns to recede outwardly from the inner edges of the colrmns, so that the lengthened guides and, if necessary, also the stiffening ribs remain entirely or partly within the usual crosssection of the columns and it is no longer necessary to change the lateral spacing of the columns from that of the known constructions. Consequently the columns can be arranged as close as possible to the outer edges of the bed, as in the known constructions.

From the remarks contained in the opening paragraphs of the specification, it will be clear that the invention is also possible of expansion by extending the crossbeam in known manner in the form of a box between the columns to the full depth thereof and guiding this box on the rear side on the inner edges of the columns. These guides can be extended in upward and downward direction in the manner above described and reinforced or stiffened on the box and the counterguides can be sunk in the columns.

Finally, in order to still further increase the rigidity of the system, it is advisable to provide the guides with clamping devices along their entire length. These devices should preferably be continually under tension and only automatically relieved before the crossbeam is moved. They should also again be placed under tension, preferably automatically, and the cross-beam fixed at the end of this movement.

A form of construction embodying the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a crossbeam with a section through the box-shaped extension, taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 2 is a section through the crossbeam and columns, taken on line IIII of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows the crossbeam in side elevation, and

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the clamping device.

The crossbeam 5 has a box-shaped extension 7 reaching to the rear side of the columns 6 and is guided on the front sides 8 of the columns in dove-tail guides 9 and rectangular guides 10 in known manner. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the cross-sectional shape of the columns is such that at 11 it recedes from the inner edge 12, thereby providing space for the lower extensions 13 and the upper extensions 14 of the rear slides or guides 15 of the crossbeam box. As can be seen from Fig. l, stiffening ribs 16 are provided for the upper extensions 14 and stifienings 17 for the lower extensions 13 which are much longer in comparison, the stiffening ribs 17 extending a substantial distance along extensions 13 and across the box shaped extension 7. In spite of the increase in rigidity, the gantry width is the same as on the known machines and the columns are arranged with their inner edges 12 at the same distance apart as on the known machines.

The clamping is effected by two clamping bars 18 near the crossbeam 5 and two other clamping bars 19 at the rear end of the box-shaped extensions 7; both sets of bars, as can be seen from Figs. 1 to 3, extend along the entire length of the guides. These clamping bars swivel on bearings 20 and 21 respectively and are actuated by a spindle 22, two cam levers 23 and two connecting rods 24 in the manner shown in Fig. 4. Spindle 22 of Fig. 2 can be rotated by a servo-motor, not illustrated. Thereby a nut 26 is displaced on the left threaded end 25 of spindle 22 which is loosely pivotally connected with lever 23. On the right hand lever 23 between stop lugs 27 there is an eye 28 provided with a bore which, in the same manner, is loosely pivotally connected with right lever 23.

By this arrangement nut 26 and eye 28 are moved apart; thus, the two L-shaped levers 23 are correspondingly moved apart. Cam ends 29 mounted on levers 23 cam against the end of clamping levers 18 and levers Patented May 5, 1959 18 through connecting rods press on clamping levers 19' "'eqnipp'ed' at-"theirfreeends' with "clamping "surfaces 30. An exemplification of this is seen in Fig. 4 where lever 23, is pivoted at 23 which is mounted on the crossbeam as are pivots 20 and 21. The other elements in Fig: 4 are also numbered as in Fig.2 for the clamping" levers on the right hand side of this figure.

'The fine'adjustment of levers 18 with respect to one another in such a manner that both levers clan pingly en-" gage .at the same time, takes place'automatically by a slight axial play of spindle 22 as afforded by its being journaled in journal blocks 31 and 32. The fine ad-' justment of levers 19with respect to levers 18 in such amanner that levers 19 engage at the same time as levers 18, is brought about by adjusting nuts 33.

I claim:

In a machine tool having spaced vertical columns,

guide ways 'on each column lying in a plane common to the guide ways on the other column, a cro-ssbeam' box-like extension to engage said' additional guide ways,

as ess said guide means extending along said additional guide waysadistant 'greater'tha'n the vertical dimension of' said crossbeam, and clamping means carried by said guide means of a length corresponding to the length of said guide means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 475,542 -Detrick May 24, 1892 1,519,332 Rausch et al. Dec. 16, 1924 1,555,055 Cardullo Sept. 29, 1925 1,568,681 Marcalus Jan. 5, 1926 1,653,030 Zeh Dec. 20, 1927 2,038,795 Klocke Apr. 28, 1936 2,322,972 Rumpf June 29, 1943 2,581,022 Japikse Jan. 1, 1952 2,638,659 Walter May 19, 1953 2,642,114 Bath et a1; June 16, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 148,750 Australia Oct. 23,1952

858,488 Germany Dec. 8, 1952 OTHER REFERENCES Ser. No. 415,230, Berthiez (A.P.C.), published May 

